Laugh
by Spiderwiz
Summary: Ten Year old Dick Grayson loves being Robin. He feels so free as he patrols the night with Batman and takes out the bad guys. But beneath the smiles and the cheerful attitude is a lonely young boy who still, after two years, can't seem to get over his family's death. And as if that isn't enough, the Joker is at large again and has taken an interest in a certain lil' birdie...
1. Chapter 1

**Laugh**

_A young Dick Grayson fanfiction by Spiderwiz_

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Chapter 1

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Richard "Dick" Grayson had just turned 10 years old, meaning it had been about a year and a half since he first became Robin. It also meant that it had been almost two whole years since his parents were murdered. He still remembered that night like it had been yesterday, and he regularly still had nightmares about it.

He remembered smiling brightly and laughing with his parents right before the show started. The Haly Circus...It was where he grew up. It was where he made his most precious memories. It was where he first learned to _fly_.

The Flying Graysons were known internationally for their amazing act. Everywhere the circus went, they were the main attraction. People would often come just to see them. Dick had been the youngest of the trapeze group, which consisted of him, his parents, his aunt and uncle, and his cousin John.

Their prize stunt was a very daring trapeze routine without the aid of a net, and because he was still so young, Dick's parents wouldn't let him participate in that particular act. It was fine with him though, since he got to stand backstage and watch with wide eyes as they performed. Back then, the only thought on his mind was how much he couldn't wait till he was older to do that with them. Dick was trained practically from birth how to do acrobatics so he was already great, but watching the rest of his family up there inspired him to train even harder so he could do all the amazing things that they could someday.

Yeah...Everything was great until Haly's Circus stopped in Gotham.

It was a big night. People from all over the city had lined up in anticipation. It would be one of their most important shows yet, especially since so many wealthy people would be attending. The circus had to do everything they could to impress their audience, so that meant the Flying Graysons would be performing their special act.

That night, right before the show, Dick was headed backstage to join his family, when he overheard Mr. Haly talking to someone. This someone was a pretty big dude and looked like he could be a mob boss or something. He was arguing with Haly, demanding that he paid him some protection money. When Haly refused, the other guy started to walk away. But before he left, Dick heard him say in a low voice, "You'll be sorry you didn't pay up."

Dick would later learn that that man had been Tony Zucco.

The youngest Grayson quickly joined his family backstage after that, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy, though at the time, he hadn't been sure why. He had been debating whether or not to tell them what he had just overheard, but after a minute, he decided against it. It was a big night after all, and his parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin all had to focus solely on the show.

If only Dick had told someone.

Their opening act went fine. It was just a simple acrobatic demonstration to get the crowd riled up before their more daring one. Dick laughed with joy as he flew through the air, grabbing his dad's hands, doing a flip, and then landing back on the platform. Cheers erupted from the stands. Now it was time for the act everyone had been waiting for.

Though he had already seen it a dozen times before, Dick still couldn't help but grin widely as he waved to the rest of his family, wishing them good luck. Little did he know that this performance would be their last.

The act started out okay, but right when the climax of it was approaching, something terrible happened. Something that Dick would never be able to forget. Something that would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life.

The line snapped.

And of course, there was no net.

And so, Richard Grayson, only eight years of age, watch in terror as his aunt and uncle plummeted to their deaths. His cousin followed. Then his parents.

It was terrible. It was grotesque. It was something no one should ever have to witness, let alone someone so young.

Dick could do nothing but watch from above as his family members died, one by one, and all in a matter of seconds.

He couldn't even cry out to them until it was too late.

With wide, horrified, tear-filled eyes, Dick Grayson fell to his knees in utter despair as gasps wrung out from the audience.

His family...His parents...They were gone.

All gone.

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The now 10 year old Dick suddenly awoke with a jolt, and immediately sat up in bed. He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Tears were in his eyes as he gripped his bed sheets so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Another nightmare. Another nightmare of _that night_, and for some reason, it had been even more vivid than usual.

It was now two days since his 10th birthday, which probably explained the nightmares being even worse than usual. It was his second birthday without his family, and it was affecting him badly. He'd hardly gotten any sleep in the past week, and even during his birthday party, he was a bit down.

Dick was trying to hide it from Bruce the best that he could. If he found out, then he wouldn't let him go out as Robin until he got some adequate sleep again. Bruce couldn't have him screwing up in the field, afterall. But Dick knew that there was no way he could sleep peacefully for a few more days, at least. Being Robin was the only way he could forget about the pain of losing his family though, so there was no way he'd let Bruce cage him in for a few days.

So what did Dick do? He just went right back to sleep, even though he knew it would only be another night of restlessness and heartache.

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_Tbc..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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"Breakfast time, Master Richard! You must hurry or you'll be late for school," called the voice of the family butler-Alfred Pennyworth.

Dick groaned and pulled his pillow over his head. "S'it morning already?" his slurred voice replied. Just like he'd predicted, he had barely gotten any sleep last night, and now...He was utterly exhausted.

"Master Richard?"

Dick sighed and sat up. "Coming," he muttered. He got out of bed, wishing he could stay under the warm covers for just a few more minutes, and then got dressed. As he continued to get ready for school before heading down to breakfast, he caught his reflection in the mirror. His face was a shade paler than usual, and there were dark shadows under his eyes. He looked like a zombie. So far, he'd been able to hide his restless sleeping from Bruce, but if he saw him like this today, he'd definitely realise something was up. Heck, Bruce probably already realised something was wrong with Dick. He wasn't called the world's greatest detective for nothing, after all. Then again, Bruce had been even more busy than usual (both as the playboy billionaire and Batman).

Once Dick made his way to the kitchen for some breakfast, he took his usual seat at the long table. On the other end across from him, Bruce Wayne sat with a newspaper as he sipped some coffee. "Ah. Good morning Dick," Bruce said without looking up from the paper.

"Morning," Dick replied as he stifled a yawn. He glanced over at Bruce, who didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Good. The two of them kept silent as they finished their breakfast. Dick ate as quickly as he could, both because he didn't want to be late to school (since he woke up a little bit later than usual) and because sitting here in silence with Bruce right now was...slightly unnerving.

It wasn't too much longer until Dick left the house as Alfred drove him to school.

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"-And once you finish up this worksheet, turn it into me and I'll give you your homework," Ms. Ramey, a teacher at Gotham Elementary, told the class.

Dick let out a sigh and tapped his pencil on his desk. He'd already finished the worksheet five minutes ago, and most of the other students in his class had barely started. He was somewhat of a prodigy here, and was in a fifth grade math class even though he was only in fourth grade. He would be in a much more advanced math class, but since the elementary and middle schools were separate, it would be too much of a hassle to have him go over there just for math.

So why didn't he just skip grades? Well, Dick still struggled in the subject of english, since he had barely spoken any of it before Bruce took him in as his ward. Back in the circus, he spoke Romani for the most part. Any english that he knew had only been the basics. He hadn't been staying with Bruce for more than two years yet, and it wasn't exactly an easy language for him to learn. That being said, he was actually a little behind in his english class, and that was with a tutor helping him too.

Being Robin, Batman wanted him to learn as many languages as possible, so he had also started learning german and french. His first year living in Gotham, he had already mastered spanish. So if he was getting all these other languages down, why couldn't he just understand the dang English language already?!

Along with that, Dick still carried a fairly thick accent. It had died down a little over the course of time he'd been Robin and such, and Bruce estimated that it would continue to vanish over the years as he got more used to this new language.

The kids at school would often make fun of him for the accent, or mock him for being a "charity case". This was a private elementary school for the sons and daughters of the wealthy, after all. A powerful billionaire taking in a young circus boy was definitely unheard of, and Dick got a lot of crap for that. "I heard Wayne only took him in for the publicity," or "There's no way someone like Bruce Wayne would take in someone like him; he's only doing it to make himself look better."

Well, whatever people said, Dick had heard it all. By now, he learned to just block most of it out, but every now and then, someone would say something that really stung. He would hear insults like, "Circus freak!" and "Gypsy trash," which were both very rude and hit him every time. He knew they weren't true though...He knew he wasn't some freak or trash. He was proud to have grown up in the circus, and he couldn't have been more proud of his heritage.

Even so...Sometimes...Sometimes he just wished he actually had a friend. Someone who wouldn't make fun of him for a change.

Yeah...That would be nice. Because right now, Dick Grayson was living a pretty lonely life. Sure, Bruce and Alfred were there for him, but who else? No one, and that was a fact.

He was lonely, and it hurt. It hurt more than anyone could ever know.

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_Tbc..._

_A/N: Aw poor Dick :( I feel bad for being so mean to him, but oh well. Angst is good, right? :D_

_Anyway, did ya enjoy this chapter? If so, please review! _

_Thanks for reading!_


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